Gaming Night
Games have never gotten old, they've just adapted to each generation; so try hosting a Games Night as either a fundraiser or a family fun event where participants play Board Games or Video Games in an organized, supervised environment.
Planning a Games Night
CHOOSE A GAME
The type of game(s) you play will depend on how you structure the event and your expected participants.
- Board Games: Pictionary, Connect Four, Checkers, Scrabble, and Sorry! will work well for elementary school students. For middle and high school students, increase the level of difficulty with Chess, Trivial Pursuit, or Backgammon.
- Video Games: Kids are playing Video Games at a very young age so these will work for any age. Just be sure you choose games with the appropriate “E” (for Everyone) rating.
Ask parents to donate the board games and game systems (Wii, Playstation, Xbox, etc.) for the evening. Be sure to clearly label each item with the original owner’s name and phone number so that these can be returned to them at the end of the event. Provide adequate adult supervision at each system to ensure none go missing.
You can decide whether you want to offer just a single brand of game (i.e. Nintendo Wii) or just one game (Mario Cart). The quantity and ages of the participants will determine exactly which particular video games are played. Choose a set of games that players can choose from to challenge eachother. Or, with a player-elimination type of play where winners proceed on to the next round, clearly identify which game is played in each round.
TYPES OF PLAY
A Gaming Night can be planned as serious tournament or “just to play games”. The way you structure the event will depend on which you choose. Decide ahead of time if players will play individually or in groups of two. Here are two examples:
- Round-Robin Tournament: A tournament can be structured in round-robin style, also known as an all-play-all tournament. A round-robin is a type of group tournament in which each participant plays every other participant an equal number of times (Ref. Wikipedia.com).
Many sports leagues are organized in a double-round robin format, in which every team plays all others in its league twice (once at home & once away). In chess tournaments, each player faces every other player once as white and once as black.
- Total Elimination Tournament: In this case the winner of each round proceeds on to the next round, until there are just two players/teams remaining to play the final game. Have several games taking place simultaneously to allow several players to participate and keep the evening moving.
- Open Play: If the purpose of the event is for an evening out just to play games, set up several “stations” around the room and let players choose the game(s) they'd like to play. Have sign-up sheets at each station so players continuously rotate and share the games. Charge $1.00 per player for each round of play. Small prizes (I.e. candy, trinkets from Oriental Trading can be given to the winner of each game.
HOW TO MAKE MONEY
Charge a fee to participate in the games. This can be done a number of different ways:
- In the case of a game Tournament, charge a $5 to $20 fee to play several rounds of a game throughout the event.
- In the case of an Open Play gaming event, charge a small fee for each game played. Charge $0.50 or $1 depending on the level of difficulty and the length of the game. Connect Four may only take minutes to complete ($0.50) while Chess or Checkers will take a bit longer ($1).
Also, charge the spectators a small ($1) admission fee to the games.
SELL FOOD, DRINKS & RAFFLES
As with any event that has generated an audience, you can add value to your event by selling other items as well:
- Soda, water, and coffee can be purchased at any grocery store or wholesale warehouse and resold for a premium. A case of water (24 count, 16oz) runs approximately $5.00/case ($0.21/bottle). These can be resold for $1.00/bottle; a profit of $18.96/case for your school.
- Boxes of candy and bags of snacks (chips, popcorn, cookies) can be purchased in bulk from a wholesale warehouse like BJ's, Costco, or Sam's Club and sold.
- Sell pizza, popcorn, and baked goods just as you would at a bake sale.
- Sell raffle tickets. See our Raffle and Gift Basket ideas.
Items can be purchased with the funds you're expecting to make on their sale. Or, you have the option of asking local companies to be sponsors of the event. For your reference, we have provided information on Sponsorships (below).
TICKET SALES
With an “Open Play” event, players simply purchase a ticket at the door on the day of the event. But you may want to ask tournament players to preregister a week in advance so you have time write out the games schedules. However, because you never want to turn anyone away from a fundraising event, set up your written schedule in a way that you can fill in names as players arrive at the the door.
Tickets to the event can be printed on a personal computer and printed on colored bond paper or card stock. Be sure to number them. As you distribute tickets for sale, keep a written log of which ticket numbers are given to who to sell so that all sales can be accounted for.
- Encourage every student to purchase a ticket.
- Encourage parents to purchase tickets themselves and to sell to their family, friends, and co-workers.
- Set up a sale table and sell tickets in an area where students are picked up and dropped off at school.
- Set up a sale table in the cafeteria during lunch hours.
- Set up a sale table at school sponsored events (sporting events, dinners, crafts fairs, etc.).
MAINTAIN A SCOREBOARD
Track the win-loss record of each player on a scoreboard. A large chalkboard or whiteboard works well. Set a time limit per game to keep the evening running on schedule.
GAME RULES
Print out Game Rules. Display these in a visible location in the room and distribute a copy to every participant as they enter. Here's a sample:
- Players should be familiar with how to play the game ahead of time.
- Each player is allowed X number of minutes to make their move. Once a move is made, they must reset the timer which begins the next player's turn.
- Players can ask a tournament volunteer for clarification on the rules. If this occurs, the clock should be paused.
- If you touch a board game piece, you must move it. If you are adjusting a mis-aligned game piece you must announce to the other player that you are “adjusting” not “moving” prior to touching it.
- Spectators should not interfere with a game in progress.
- At the conclusion of the game, record the results and report them to the tournament volunteer.
- Prior to leaving the game table, the players should reset the game for the next set of players.
- All cell phones should be turned off while in the tournament room.
- No food or drinks are allowed at a game table.
PRIZES
Give out small prizes at the end of each round to keep all players interested and motivated. Give out the major prize in the final round of play.
Prizes can either be a sponsored purchase or a donated item. See Sponsorships below. Prizes should appeal to the age level of the participants. Be creative!
- Cash: A portion of the earnings (ie. 50%) taken in.
- Gift certificates to local stores (toys, restaurants, electronics, gaming, teen clothing, books).
- Gift certificates for entertainment (movies, theme parks, sports events, bowling, arcades)
- Pre-purchased phone cards
LOCATION:
A school cafeteria is the perfect venue because there are plenty of tables and chairs. If you plan to have the event at another site, ask to have the hall donated or sponsored.
A Thursday, Friday, or Saturday evening works well if your event will last just a few hours. If you plan to host an all-day tournament, plan on Saturday or Sunday.
ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT
Arrive at the hall early with your committee members to ensure all is ready:
- Set up a ticket sale table at the entrance.
- Set up a sponsor sign in a visible location..
- Set up a table for food and beverage sales and confirm that sale items are available. Have a cash box with change on-hand.
- Provide trash receptacles.
- Set up the scoreboard and have writing utensils available (chalk, markers, etc.)
- Place a timer at each game table.
- Have a camera and film available to take pictures.
- As the event organizer, you should designate all jobs to your volunteers ahead of time so that you are available to roam the room throughout the evening, monitor supplies, and attend to any major issues that arise.
ADVERTISING, SPONSORS, SAYING THANK YOU, & MORE...
These are the basics of every fundraiser so we've put it all on one highly detailed page.
SAMPLE SPONSORSHIP REQUEST LETTER: GAMING NIGHT
Date
Company Name
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear (company name):
The (school name) School of (city), (state) will be hosting a Gaming Night Fundraising Event on (date) at (location). We are working toward raising funds for several enrichment programs that will benefit the students.
Our fundraising goal for enrichment programs for the 2006-2007 school year is $4,000. This includes 12 educational programs that go beyond the scope of the typical classroom. We are asking for the assistance of our community to make this happen. We are asking for your help by becoming a sponsor. Your generosity would be greatly appreciated and acknowledged at our event.
- Prize Sponsor - $1-$25: We plan to have several rounds of play in which we will offer small prizes ($1-2 in value) to each winner and larger prizes ($25, $50, $150) to the top 3 winners.
- Event Sponsor - $25, 50: We also plan to offer snacks, beverages, and raffle prizes.
We would love to make this a fun, successful, event but we need your help to make this happen and ultimately raise the funds for our school. Please return the attached Sponsorship form to the (school name) School, Street, City, State, Zip, Attn: Name, Gaming Night Event Coordinator. If you have any questions, I can be reached by phone at (phone number) or by email at (email address). Thank you, in advance, for your support.
Very Truly Yours,
Your Name
Gaming Night Event Coordinator
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_____ Yes, I would be happy to sponsor the (school name) School's Gaming Night Fundraising Event. Enclosed is my check made payable to the (school name) School PTO in the amount of $______________.
Name__________________________________________________________________
Company Name_________________________ Phone___________________________
Address________________________________________________________________
City____________________________ State___________ Zip________________
Please mail to the (school name) School, Street, City, State, Zip, Attn: Name, Gaming Night Event Coordinator. Thank you for your generous support.
SAMPLE THANK YOU LETTER: GAMING NIGHT
Date
Company Name
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear (company name):
We would like to express our sincere thanks for your generous support of the (school name) School's Gaming Night Fundraising Event that took place on (date). This event was a huge success. We were able to raise over $1,000 toward our overall goal of $4,000 for enrichment programs for our children.
The commitment and generosity of our community continue to amaze me. We hope to make this an annual event.
Please let this letter serve as a receipt for your donation for which you did not receive anything in return:
______________________(state donation here)___________________
Thank you again for your generous support. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (phone number) or (email address).
Sincerely,
Your Name
Gaming Night Event Coordinator
Scrabble is a product of Hasbro.
Connect Four is a product of Milton Bradley.
Sorry! and Trivial Pursuit are products of Parker Brothers.
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